BJP demands removal of Shinde if RK Singh’s charges are proved

New Delhi: In the wake of claims by former Home Secretary RK Singh, BJP on Tuesday said Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde should be sacked if it is proved in an inquiry that he tried to prevent Delhi police from taking action against an associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Deputy Leader of the BJP in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said that if Shinde indeed prevented Delhi Police from taking action against a key aide of Dawood in the IPL betting scandal, as alleged by Singh who recently joined the party, then it is a serious matter which should be probed thoroughly.

"After inquiry if he (Shinde) is found to have intervened as there is contemporaneous evidence of Home Secretary saying so, he must be sacked. He has no political, moral or legal authority to remain as the Home Minister even for a moment," Prasad said.

BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi termed the claims made by Singh as astounding and said they showed how the Congress-led UPA government has been functioning.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs was interfering in a match-fixing case in which associates of don Dawood Ibrahim sought favours. Appointments were also made in an illegal manner after slips were exchanged," she alleged.

Lekhi also charged the Congress with indulging in minority appeasement for vote bank politics by offering sops like scholarships and reservations to Muslims.

"This is apparent from the policies which clearly show this bias. 20 million scholarships were given to students in the name of religion and not to people who actually require a scholarship," she added.

Lekhi recalled that in the past the Congress-led UPA government has offered several sops which were aimed only at the Muslims.

"Congress is indulging in vote bank gimmicks. Its policies show a bias against nationhood. Government should explain its conduct over the last ten years," Lekhi said.